Here is your Friday story,  Everyone Needs a “Me” File – courtesy of Bob Proctor

During a dinner with friends I mentioned an e-mail I’d received from a 13-year-old thanking me for the way my commentaries had influenced his life. I was clearly proud of the note, and Sally Kinnamon said I should save this and other affirming mementos and put them in a “Me” file.

At first I thought she was being sarcastic, but she assured me she was quite serious. Sally came upon the idea while training in-home nurses, who often work in isolated conditions with little or no affirmative feedback.

She gave each nurse an empty folder labeled “Me” and instructed them to put every form of grateful or complimentary feedback into the file, including cards, notes, letters, and positive performance reviews. She said that this folder should be taken out and read whenever any of them felt unappreciated or questioned the value of their work.

Sally acknowledged that most of the nurses were initially reluctant, fearing it was too self-indulgent, egotistical, or just plain silly, but she explained it’s not a bragging file to show others how good we are. Rather, it’s a private collection evidencing the large and small triumphs that give us psychic gratification and reconnect us with the best reasons we do what we do. Eventually, she said, most of the nurses came to use and draw great comfort and encouragement from their “Me” files.

What a terrific idea. You ought to start a “Me” file for yourself and put in it anything that validates what you do at work or home.

The next step, of course, is to be sure you’re spending time doing the kinds of things that will fill your “Me” file.

Michael Josephson

www.charactercounts.org

To chase down a dream! By Tyer Perry

Sorry I’ve been MIA but we just finished the movie, For Colored Girls, and

I have to tell you, I have new respect for Ntozake Shange’s 1975 writings.

Listening to these words spoken through the voices of Phylicia Rashad,

Kerry Washington, Tessa Thompson, Macy Gray, Kimberly Elise, Thandie

Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson and Loretta Devine, made me not

only respect the brilliance of the material, but also pull out everything

in me to do my best to give it the care and attention to detail that it

deserved. Out of all that I’ve ever done in my life, nothing has taken

more out of me than this film. It is remarkable.

Being so drained, I decided to take a few days off. Yesterday I was

hiking a mountain in Hawaii with a friend. I was laboring up this

beautiful green pastured mountain, looking down at my feet trying to be

sure of my footing, while at the same time trying to catch my breath from

the altitude. At times, I would make big steps, sometimes all I could do

was take small ones. The terrain was uneven and rough at times. It took

a lot of effort and a lot of thought so, needless to say, I was getting

really tired and at times wanted to stop or just turn back.

I got to one peak and I thought “I’m here, great, we can rest now” only to

realize that just because I was at the top of one peak, that didn’t mean I

had arrived. There were more…more valleys to go through and more heights

to reach. It was interesting to me, that in order to go higher, we

usually had to go down through a valley, and it went on and on and up and

up. I was tired and wanted to sit down but my friend said, “Come on,

let’s go a little higher.” So, not to be outdone by a girl (lol), I dug

my hiking boots in and went a little higher. We finally got to one of the

highest points and she said to me, “This is the best part, now turn

around.” I turned around and behind me was the most amazing view that I

had seen in my 40 years on this earth. As far as my eyes could see,

beauty reigned. The Hawaiian Islands seemed to be leaping up out of the

silver blue sea, stretching up to catch the dust of the sky. The clouds

seemed close enough to catch in my hand and make a wish; rays of sunlight

danced through them trying to find a path to show off their own glow and

power. Not even Picasso could have out-painted the canvas that was before

me. The heavens were declaring the glory of God. I saw Him in motion.

I said to my friend, “When did we get this high?”, and she said, “It was

in the climb.” I couldn’t help but think about life – mine and maybe even

yours. I thought about how hard it had been for me chasing down my dream.

I thought about how hard it can be to believe sometimes. I thought about

the entire struggle, all of the pain, all of the hope, all of the doubt.

I thought about the times I was working a dead end job, trying to believe;

moving through day-to-day with my head down just taking one step at a

time, some small, some big ones, wanting to give up; wanting to stop and

sit for a while; wanting to lay in my sorrow; nobody believing in me;

nobody thinking it would come to pass and never realizing that every step

was taking me closer to higher. That hike was painful, it hurt, but

through it all I was getting higher and had no idea how high I was.

That’s what it’s like to chase down a dream.

Sometimes in life dreams are hard to follow, like that climb. You don’t

know how high you’re going or even if you’re moving, but every step, even

when you can’t see what’s behind you, will take you closer to your goals.

It’s in the climb. I know you may be struggling right now, but you’re in

the climb; things may be hard right now, but you’re in the climb; people

may not believe in you, but it’s part of the climb. They may take shots

at you, but stay in the climb; you may have to stand alone, but you’re in

the climb. Even if you’re not where you want to be right now, I want to

say to you what she said to me, “This is the best part, now turn around.”

Look how far you’ve come. God has not brought you this far to leave you.

Stay in the climb.

So thankful for all of you. Be well. CLIMB!

Tyler Perry

Here is your Friday story, Acres of Diamonds. Courtesy of Bob Proctor

One of the most interesting Americans who lived in the 19th century was a man by the name of Russell Herman Conwell. He was born in 1843 and lived until 1925. He was a lawyer for about fifteen years until he became a clergyman.

One day, a young man went to him and told him he wanted a college education but couldn’t swing it financially. Dr. Conwell decided, at that moment, what his aim in life was, besides being a man of the cloth – that is. He decided to build a university for unfortunate, but deserving, students. He did have a challenge however. He would need a few million dollars to build the university. For Dr. Conwell, and anyone with real purpose in life, nothing could stand in the way of his goal.

Several years before this incident, Dr. Conwell was tremendously intrigued by a true story – with its ageless moral. The story was about a farmer who lived in Africa and through a visitor became tremendously excited about looking for diamonds. Diamonds were already discovered in abundance on the African continent and this farmer got so excited about the idea of millions of dollars worth of diamonds that he sold his farm to head out to the diamond line. He wandered all over the continent, as the years slipped by, constantly searching for diamonds, wealth, which he never found. Eventually he went completely broke and threw himself into a river and drowned.

Meanwhile, the new owner of his farm picked up an unusual looking rock about the size of a country egg and put it on his mantle as a sort of curiosity. A visitor stopped by and in viewing the rock practically went into terminal convulsions. He told the new owner of the farm that the funny looking rock on his mantle was about the biggest diamond that had ever been found. The new owner of the farm said, “Heck, the whole farm is covered with them” – and sure enough it was.

The farm turned out to be the Kimberly Diamond Mine…the richest the world has ever known. The original farmer was literally standing on “Acres of Diamonds” until he sold his farm.

Dr. Conwell learned from the story of the farmer and continued to teach it’s moral. Each of us is right in the middle of our own “Acre of Diamonds”, if only we would realize it and develop the ground we are standing on before charging off in search of greener pastures. Dr. Conwell told this story many times and attracted enormous audiences. He told the story long enough to have raised the money to start the college for underprivileged deserving students. In fact, he raised nearly six million dollars and the university he founded, Temple University in Philadelphia, has at least ten degree-granting colleges and six other schools.

When Doctor Russell H. Conwell talked about each of us being right on our own “Acre of Diamonds”, he meant it. This story does not get old…it will be true forever.

Opportunity does not just come along – it is there all the time – we just have to see it.

Earl Nightingale

1921-1989, From Our Changing World Radio Transcript

Author of The Strangest Secret